Furman 9, Elon 7
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Hunter Burton’s two-out, three-run triple keyed a six-run eighth-inning rally that powered Furman to a 9-7 victory over Elon in Southern Conference baseball action Sunday afternoon at Latham Stadium.
Burton’s decisive eighth-inning hit, coupled with four solid innings of relief pitching by Billy Greenfield and Alex Abrams, gave Furman (22-28, 10-13 SoCon) the three-game series sweep over Elon (26-25, 12-15 SoCon) heading into the final week of the regular season.
The series win was the third straight for the Paladins against the Phoenix, who made their final trip to Greenville as a member of the Southern Conference.
Furman, which trailed 7-3 after Elon pushed across a run in the top of the eighth, opened its big frame with a double to left field by Carter Grote and a Greg Harrison triple that bounced off the glove of Blaine Bower as he stumbled on the warning track before colliding with the fence.
After a Chris Ohmstede infield single, Alex Abrams walked to load the bases, and Jordan Simpson singled through the left side to make it a 7-5 game. A Jake Jones ground out drove home Ohmstede to get Furman to within a run, and after a walk again loaded the bases, Burton laced a one-ball, one-strike offering by Phoenix reliever Ryan Pennell into the right-center field gap to clear the bases and give the Paladins a 9-7 lead.
Abrams (6-1), the beneficiary of the six-run rally, retired Elon in order in the ninth to nail down the victory. He allowed a run on two hits over three innings and struck out two.
Elon grabbed a 2-0 lead in the third inning, taking advantage of a two-out fielding error by Burton for Bower’s second home run in consecutive games – a two-run shot to left field off Paladin starter Tyler Wood.
The Phoenix led 3-1 after four and added three more in the fifth to take a 6-1 lead following Casey Jones’ two-out, three-run double that bounced in front of diving Paladin left fielder Carter Grote.
Furman began its comeback by scoring two runs in the sixth on a Harrison RBI single and Jarrod Rickman sacrifice fly.
Elon starting pitcher Jake Stalzer worked 6 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on just three hits. He walked three and fanned five.
Wood surrendered six runs, four earned, on five hits over five innings. He walked two and fanned seven. Paladin pitching notched 11 strikeouts in the contest.
Harrison (2-for-3, 2 RBIs, run) and Simpson (2-for-4, RBI, run) had two hits apiece to pace Furman’s nine-hit attack. Grote, meanwhile, doubled, walked twice and scored three runs. Burton’s triple, his second of the series, was the 13th of his career and moved him into second place alone on Furman’s career ledger.
Furman, which went 4-0 for the week, plays host to Clemson this Tuesday at Fluor Field in a 7 p.m. contest.
Furman will play at Appalachian State in its final SoCon regular-season series beginning on Thursday.
Elon will wrap up its regular season on Tuesday with a 7 p.m. game at Liberty. The game will appear on ESPN3.
The SoCon tournament is set for May 20-25 at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park in Charleston, S.C.
Samford 5, Appalachian State 2
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford baseball team scored five runs in the final three innings to overcome a two-run deficit on its way to a 5-2 win over Appalachian State in the third game of a three-game Southern Conference series Sunday afternoon at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
With the win, Samford won the series over Appalachian State, two games to one. Samford improved to 31-22 overall and 14-10 in Southern Conference play. App fell to 17-31 overall and 10-13 in league play.
Samford was led at the plate by Frankie Navarrete, who went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Drew McWhorter hit a home run, going 1-for-4 with two RBIs.
Parker Curry (6-2) pitched 1 2/3 innings in relief, giving up no runs on two hits to earn the win on the mound for Samford. Curry struck out three batters without allowing a walk. Cole Limbaugh started the game for the Bulldogs and pitched five innings, allowing no runs on four hits. Andres Gracia pitched the final two innings without allowing a hit to pick up his SoCon-leading 12th save of the season.
For Appalachian State, Preston Troutman went 3-for-4 at the plate. Alex Leach went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, while Michael Pierson went 2-for-4. Jeffrey Springs (2-5) pitched seven innings, giving up four runs on six hits to take the loss for the Mountaineers. Springs struck out eight Samford batters, allowing just one walk.
Neither team could score for the first five innings of the contest. Appalachian State had two opportunities to put runs on the scoreboard during that stretch, but two outstanding defensive plays by Samford ended the threats. In the first inning, with two outs and runners on second and third base, left fielder Brandon Powell made a diving grab in foul territory to end the inning.
In the fourth inning, with a runner on first and one out, right fielder Heath Quinn robbed App’s Dillon Dobson of a home run with a great catch and then threw to first base to complete a double play and retire Leach.
Appalachian put the first runs on the scoreboard in the top of the sixth inning, plating two runs to take the first lead of the game. With one out in the inning, Troutman singled up the middle and Pierson was hit by a pitch. Tyler Zupcic then reached on an infield single to load the bases with one out. Leach then singled up the middle to drive in Pierson and Troutman for a 2-0 Mountaineer lead.
Samford tied the score with two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Navarrete singled to right-center field to lead off the inning. With two outs in the inning, McWhorter hit a home run to left-center field to tie the score at 2-2.
The Bulldogs took the lead with two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Caleb Bryson doubled down the left-field line to lead off the inning. With one out in the inning, Tripp Martin singled to drive in pinch-runner Jordan Wren for a 3-2 Samford lead. Navarrete then singled to drive in Martin to make the score 4-2.
Samford plated one final run in the bottom of the eighth inning to make the final score 5-2. With two outs in the inning, Quinn singled through the right side of the infield. Patrick McGavin then reached on an Appalachian State error, moving Quinn to second base. Curry then singled to right field to drive in Quinn for the game’s final run.
Samford will return to action on Friday, May 16, when the Bulldogs open a three-game Southern Conference series at Wofford. The teams are scheduled to play a single game Friday at 5 p.m. (CT), and a doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m. (CT) in Spartanburg, S.C.
The Mountaineers will be back on the road on Tuesday, traveling to East Tennessee State for a 7 p.m. game start before returning home for its last home series on Thursday against Furman.
Georgia Southern 3, Western Carolina 2
STATESBORO, Ga. – The Georgia Southern Eagles scored runs on a fielder's choice and two wild pitches and got five solid innings from Ryan Frederick Sunday to take a 3-2 win and the series from the Western Carolina Catamounts on Senior Day.
Frederick faced just one over the minimum through five innings and pitched into the sixth. The sophomore right-hander allowed just one hit, a high fly ball that carried over the wall for Danny Bermudez's first home run of the season in the third inning. Frederick (4-0) earned the win after striking out five batters and walking one on 64 pitches.
Jason Richman tossed four innings and allowed just a ninth-inning solo home run to Adam Martin. Richman picked up his third save of the season after surrendering three hits and a walk on 69 pitches.
Georgia Southern (33-20, 15-12) took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a sac bunt by Chase Griffin. Stryker Brown slid into home plate and jarred the ball loose to score the first run of the game.
Brown broke a 1-1 tie in the fourth inning, scoring on a wild pitch from Jeremy Null. Null tossed a second wild pitch in the seventh inning, which scored C.J. Brazil for what proved to be the game-winning run.
Null (5-3) suffered the loss for Western Carolina (33-16, 17-6) after allowing three runs on six hits and a pair of walks. Null tossed 6 1/3 innings and struck out three batters on 92 pitches.
The Eagles finished with six hits, with two coming from Brown and Garrett Chapman.
The Catamounts had a run thrown out at the plate by Kody Adams in the sixth inning. J.D. Long tried to score from second base on Bradley Strong's single but missed touching the plate and was tagged out by Brazil.
The game was delayed for 38 minutes in the seventh inning after lightning was detected in the vicinity.
GSU wraps up its regular season Tuesday night at Jacksonville. Game time is set for 6:30 p.m.
Western Carolina returns home for the final four games of the regular season, beginning Tuesday against Kennesaw State for a 5 p.m. first pitch. The Catamounts host SoCon-leading Davidson for a three-game series on Thursday and Friday in Cullowhee, N.C., with the regular-season SoCon championship on the line.
Wofford 8, UNCG 4
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford College baseball team scored four runs in the seventh inning to come back for an 8-4 win over UNCG on Sunday afternoon at Russell C. King Field. The Terriers swept the weekend series against the Spartans, the first for the Terriers since the 2011 season.
Wofford is 28-25 on the season and 10-13 in the Southern Conference. UNCG is 21-24 overall and 8-13 in league play. In all three games this weekend against the Spartans, the Terriers scored the winning runs in the seventh, eighth or ninth innings. Derek Hirsch had two hits for Wofford, while Matt Ramsay had two RBIs. Zac MacAneney led the Spartans with three hits and an RBI.
Down 4-3 after UNCG scored a run in the top of the sixth, Wofford led off the bottom of the seventh with Conor Clancey reaching on an error. A walk to Demetrius Jennings and Derek Hirsch being hit by a pitch loaded the bases. Matt Ramsay hit a double to left field and moved to third on an error as three runs crossed the plate giving the Terriers a 6-4 advantage. A sacrifice fly by Alec Paradowski scored Ramsay for a 7-4 lead. Wofford left the bases loaded at the end of the seventh.
After retiring the side in order in the top of the eighth, the Terriers loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth on an error and two walks. A walk to Seth Neely allowed one run to score, but the Terriers left the bases loaded to end the eighth with an 8-4 lead. The Spartans had one single in the top of the ninth before a ground out ended the game.
The Spartans opened the game with back-to-back singles. A double play erased one runner, but a single by Hunter King scored a run for a 1-0 lead. Wofford led off the bottom of the first with a walk, but a double play and strikeout ended the inning.
In the top of the second, the Spartans had two runners on base after walks. With two outs, a single by Zac MacAneney drove in a run for a 2-0 score. The Terriers were retired in order in the bottom of the second. The Spartans led off the third with a double. With one out, an RBI single pushed the lead to 3-0.
With one out in the bottom of the fourth, Neely was hit by a pitch and he stole second. After a single by James Plaisted, a single by Eric Brenk drove in Neely to cut the lead to 3-1. A ground out by Josh Hyman scored Plaisted to make it a 3-2 game. With two outs, Eric Brenk scored from third on a wild pitch to tie the game at 3-3.
The Spartans regained the lead in the top of the sixth on a sacrifice bunt to make it a 4-3 score.
Wofford starting pitcher Luke Leftwich went two innings and allowed two runs on four hits with one strikeout. Connell Anderson threw four innings with two runs allowed on three hits and four strikeouts. Connor Foltyn went 2/3 of an inning with a strikeout. Will Stillman (5-2) earned the win by going the final 2 1/3 innings and allowing just one hit with four strikeouts.
Dylan Thompson started for UNCG and went 4 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on four hits with three strikeouts. Brennen James (1-2) went 2 1/3 innings and gave up four runs on one hit with one strikeout.
Wofford will take the week off for exams and return to the field on Friday at 6 p.m. for the start of a three-game series against Samford.
UNCG closes out the regular-season next weekend with a three-game series at The Citadel.
UNCW 9, The Citadel 3
WILMINGTON, N.C. – UNCW scored eight runs in the second and third innings and went on to post a 9-3 victory over The Citadel, taking the series two games to one.
The Bulldogs (20-31) got three RBIs from Bo Thompson, all three driving in Mason Davis, but could not overcome the early lead established by the Seahawks (25-24). UNCW took the final two games of the series after The Citadel won 1-0 on Thursday.
The Citadel jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first when Davis walked, went to third on a hit-and-run single by Hughston Armstrong and scored on Thompson's sacrifice fly to center.
It was still a one-run game when the Seahawks scored five times in the second, highlighted by a three-run double by Luke Dunlap, who had seven hits in the series. The Bulldogs made it 5-2 in the top of the third when Davis singled, stole second and came across on a ringing double to left by Thompson.
The steal was the 25th of the season for the Bulldog junior second baseman. Drew DeKerlegand was hit by a pitch later in the inning, tying him with Daryl Byrd for the school career record with 51. The senior left fielder also increased his streak of consecutive games reaching base to 32.
UNCW wasted little time adding to its lead in its half of the inning with Ryan LaGrange homering to left to start the frame. A sacrifice fly and RBI single by Casey Golden made it an 8-2 Seahawk advantage.
The Bulldogs scored their final run in the fifth. Davis walked and Armstrong singled to put two on with nobody out. A wild pitch advanced the runners, and Thompson brought home Davis with a ground out. It could have been a bigger inning, but Austin Mapes, who replaced Tyler Griffin early in the game, was robbed of a base hit on a liner to first.
The Bulldogs play their final nonconference game of the season at South Carolina on Tuesday at 7 p.m. as they look to complete a season sweep of the Gamecocks. The Citadel plays its final regular-season home series against UNCG beginning on Thursday at 4 p.m.